B&B owner slams 'horrendous' building work that has plagued him for three years

A resident of a quiet road for 30 years has blasted the council for their “lack of support” and allowing a string of major development projects go ahead one after the other.
Paul Simmons, who runs a B&B with his wife in Hill Farm Road, Marlow Bottom, says three separate housing developments have been allowed to take place continuously for three years – all within 30 yards of their home.
Despite a number of objections from residents about the effect the developments would have on traffic, noise and road safety, various applications – including “squeezing” a detached house beside an existing house and transforming a small bungalow into a large property – have been given the green light.

Mr Simmons says the constant building work has been a “nightmare” for those living in the road, many of whom came to live in the area for its quiet, countryside feel.
He said: “It has been very difficult for us. I have no problem with the builders, it’s Wycombe District Council who seem to have this ‘gung ho’ attitude towards development.
“How have Wycombe District Council allowed these various projects to go ahead. It has just gone from one project to another for three years. The infrastructure in this road is not suitable for all this planning.
“We have no drainage and it’s only a narrow track. When we have a torrential downpour, the rain surges down our driveway and since the building work started, it brings a lot of mud with it. We have trucks backing into our driveway on a daily basis. The road is now in a shocking state.
“It has just been horrendous. I feel like the council haven’t really thought about the impact all this development would have on residents who have been here many years.”
Mr Simmons also says there has been “no feedback” to any of their complaints to Wycombe District Council and fears the problems will only get worse when people move in to the properties.
Sue Robinson, a spokesman for Wycombe District Council, said: “It is unfortunately inevitable that construction projects will cause some disturbance while works are underway, and in this instance these longstanding local residents have had several developments taking place near to them over the last three years.

“We understand how disappointing it must be when a development to which local concerns have been raised gets approved, but our planning team have to operate within a very prescriptive planning regime which is set out nationally. They are only able to refuse a planning application where it has identified that the proposed development would cause demonstrable harm.
“The council is strongly committed to protecting the natural and built environment, and all material planning considerations, such as the impact on the countryside, noise and parking are all taken into account and assessed as part of the decision making process.”
Source: Local Bucks